June of last year, Hamline adjunct faculty assembled to vote on the issue of unionization, represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 284. Hamline adjuncts were the first faculty at a Minnesota private college or university to organize a vote for unionization.

At the end of June, the Minneapolis office of the National Labor Relations Board announced that 72 percent of ballots cast by adjunct Hamline professors were in favor of forming a union. Since that time, adjunct Hamline faculty have organized and proposed some terms to the University.

One of the union’s primary concerns is adjunct professor compensation. Adjunct, or “part-time” professors at Hamline have not received a pay raise in 10 years, according to SEIU Local 284. Hamline President Fayneese Miller publicly addressed some issues regarding information distributed by the Union.

“Hamline already compensates its adjunct faculty at a competitive rate that is about in the middle of the range for adjunct faculty among schools (like Hamline) that are within the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities,” she said.

In further response to the issue of pay, Miller stated, “the Union is seeking to apply pressure on the University to provide a level of compensation to our adjunct faculty that, frankly, may not be in the best interest of the University or the University community as a whole.”

Though pay is one of the union’s primary talking points, there are a number of other issues of importance. David Weiss holds positions as both an adjunct professor at Hamline and as Steward of the Hamline Adjunct Faculty Union. Weiss has mentioned low wages as a problem, but also things like no benefits, no job security and a lack of support from Hamline.

In defense of Hamline’s alleged lack of support, President Miller stated that “adjunct faculty are generally employed to teach here in order to fill short-term needs; and more broadly, to help us provide the flexibility that is essential for responding to all the variables encountered by and on behalf of our student body.”

On Friday, Nov. 6, the union teamed up with MPIRG to hold the kickoff for their “Hungry for Justice” food drive. According to Union Steward David Weiss, the purpose of the food drive is to “raise awareness about the struggle that adjuncts are facing as they pursue a first contract with the administration.” The food drive will run until Monday, Nov. 16.

In addition to working with Hamline professors, The SEIU is reaching out to adjunct faculty across the country. Institutions such as Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Northeastern University in Boston have also voted to unionize.

Miller sent out an all-community email regarding the union’s efforts in an attempt to reassure and provide information to the Hamline community. “The University is working hard and doing its best to support the needs of its adjunct faculty, and that it is also, always, responsibly balancing those needs with the needs of our students, our full-time faculty, and our staff,” she said. President Miller did not comment on the next steps of this effort.